Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a teen who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a friend, and a son or a daughter. Above all, the Teen of the Month is dedicated to making a positive mark on the planet. Rich or poor, famous or not, the Teen of the Month shines as an example of what today's teens have to offer.

August's Teens of the Month are identical twins Elizabeth and Isabella Tang, 2004 Miss California Outstanding Teens.

August’s teen of the month is a sister act. Identical twins Elizabeth and Isabella Tang are living proof that beauty and brains are a winning combination. The girls parlayed their intelligence, grace, community service and talent into a win as the 2004 Miss California Outstanding Teen – or, in this case, Outstanding Teens – the first tie in the pageant’s six-year history. But then, who could possibly choose between these two?

Many people don’t take pageants seriously, but the Tang sisters joined the Outstanding Teen contest with the right attitude and motives. With an eye to their future education, Elizabeth and Isabella saw the Outstanding Teen pageant as a way to secure some scholarship money to help them fulfill their academic dreams.

Beyond that, though, the girls were interested in showing that a smart female can be well-rounded in every way. “There’s a common stereotype that if you excel academically you don’t have good self-presentation skills," says Isabella. “We wanted to show that we were more than just a brain." Adds Elizabeth, “Our main motive for being in the pageant was for the academic possibilities, but it was more than that. There was also community involvement and talent, both of which have to be developed by an individual. These are things we work hard at."

For their hard work, the Tangs each won a $3,000 scholarship. This is even more amazing when you consider that, like many young girls who are on the pageant circuit from the time they can walk, the Tangs had never entered a contest like this before. As Elizabeth explains it, they were looking into some pageants simply because of the possibility of earning scholarships, but had rejected everything they’d investigated because of the emphasis on physical appearance.

Then they got an invitation to become involved in the process of qualifying for the Miss Outstanding Teen competition. But first, they had to win a local pageant. The odds, it seemed, would be heavily against them, but amazingly, they both won their competitions, Isabella in Los Angeles County and Elizabeth in Culver City. They then entered the state finals representing those two pageants.

Winning Ways
While it may be a surprise for a couple of amateur pageant entrants to do so well on their first couple of tries, it had to be hard for the judges to not be impressed. Elizabeth and Isabella, although only 16, have already amassed an impressive resume of personal achievement.

As rising juniors at Hart High School in Newhall, Calif., the two established themselves early on as national academic achievers. In the eighth grade Elizabeth scored an 800 in math and 770 in verbal, while Isabella got a 790 and 770 respectively on the SAT I in the Johns Hopkins talent search. These scores placed Elizabeth in first nationally in math and second statewide in verbal, while Isabella was second in math nationwide and tied for second place in verbal statewide.

For such young women, they have very definite goals of being well-rounded physically as well as mentally, and it shows in their extracurricular activities. This past year they both received the coach’s award for their successes on the varsity tennis team – naturally, they play doubles. They also belong to several clubs at Hart High: Math League, Future Business Leaders of America and the National Honor Society.

Even in these extracurricular activities the girls excel. When the California Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) conference was held in spring of 2005, Elizabeth won first place in Introduction to Business Communications, and she will go to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the National FBLA Conference. Isabella won fourth place in Introduction to Business Communications. Both were given Champions of California awards.

For fun, they play piano, but not just in the family room like other kids. The Tang’s parents, Julia and Namsheng, introduced their daughters to piano when they were very young, and Elizabeth and Isabella have both become talented pianists. They’ve won quite a few competitions and are the accompanists for their local choir. Both have been attending the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

A few years ago, they co-founded a music appreciation program to promote classical music education at the elementary schools in their district. They perform for the kids at assemblies and run question-and-answer sessions afterward. They’ve even invited fellow members of a show choir to come and perform. “It’s a lot of fun and the kids are very interested in learning about piano and classical music," says Isabella. “We’d really like to expand the program by adding more people and bringing in other instruments."

Mirror Images
Isabella and Elizabeth may be identical twins, but there are definite differences in their personalities. “We’re actually pretty different, and most people can tell us apart," says Elizabeth. “We do a lot of the same activities because of convenience and similar interests in general, but Isabella is more artistic and musical, and I’m more mathematical and into science."

They’re both too young to have a firm grasp on what they’d like to do in the future, but they’ve started to think about it. Last year, Elizabeth took an environmental science class that interested her so much that she’s thinking that becoming an environmental lawyer might be interesting. Isabella says that when she was little she wanted to become a writer, but now she thinks she’d like to make that a sideline in addition to another career.

Whatever they do, nothing will ever separate the sisters, who are not embarrassed to say how much they admire the other. In fact, in conversation, one usually lists the accomplishments of the other well before her own. No competition can diminish that love and respect.

“We’re best friends and love each other very much," says Elizabeth. “Even during the pageant there was no competition between us. We would have been happy whoever won."

Want to see more?

• February 2005's Teen of the Month, Thomas Rancour
• January 2005's Teen of the Month, Jerry Guo
• August 2004's Teen of the Month, Linzy Hildreth
• Talk about it!